Busy Families at Thanksgiving Pre-Order Dinner

Back in the day, a woman that didn’t cook all or a good portion of the Thanksgiving meal she would be serving on that special day was considered lazy. Either that or she couldn’t cook.

Boy how things have changed.

I am reminiscent of an elementary school principal that I worked with in the mid 1980s who pre-ordered her family’s Thanksgiving meal every year from one of the local delicatessens. She was neither lazy nor pitiful in the kitchen. She was just busy, and unashamed to admit it. She was way ahead of her time.

Women today who are busy in the corporate world may end up working all or part of Thanksgiving. What a relief to know there’s a restaurant or delicatessen right around the corner that offers alternatives. She can even hide all the restaurants’ food containers and pretend she created the whole meal herself. From scratch.

With s simple phone call and a swipe of the credit card, today’s corporate woman who is also wife and mother can pay for a made-to-order Thanksgiving meal. No longer is her family neglected, or forced to eat dinner at someone else’s home because Mommy had to work. At least three national restaurant chains offer busy families the choice of sitting down at their own tables and enjoying the meal prepared in their restaurants.

Golden Corral is a national all-you-can-eat restaurant chain that offers breakfast, lunch and dinner in most locations. Golden Corral offers pre-ordered dinners put together of Thanksgiving favorites such as turkey and dressing (stuffing if you’re from the north), mashed potatoes with gravy, a choice from a plethora of vegetables, rolls and a dessert. Last year, the price for a Thanksgiving dinner was $39.99 and up. Contact the local Golden Corral for more information about pre-ordered Thanksgiving dinners.

Cracker Barrel Restaurants gives visitors a taste of homemade food as well as a gift shop where novelties can be purchased. For Thanksgiving, they offer a take home meal choice of turkey or ham along with three side dishes and bread for $49.99. They will be open Thanksgiving Day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Ryan’s Steakhouse and its companion restaurant Fire Mountain offer the same or similar meal. They do not advertise pre-orders. However, if customers love Ryan’s food and wouldn’t want Thanksgiving dinner from anywhere else for their home setting, they can call ahead. Or, they can come in on Thanksgiving and fix their take home plates themselves from the offerings on Ryan’s grill and food bars. Ryan’s will be open this Thanksgiving from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Shoneys Restaurant will be open Thanksgiving day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Shoneys doesn’t offer pre-orders, but customers can fix their own Thanksgiving dinner from the hot and cold food bars featuring over 100 food items. Guests can fill a table or two with loved ones and eat at the restaurant. Or they can fix their Thanksgiving favorites and take dinner home with them.

Golden Corral, Cracker Barrel, Ryan’s and Shoneys are just four of many local restaurants and delicatessens that offer families pre-ordering and take out options for Thanksgiving dinner.

People can pre-order their Thanksgiving dinners as early as November first. The cut off is up to each individual restaurant, but most will end pre-orders by the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving.